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The lower ring for Unit 4 is installed at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia. | Courtesy of Georgia Power

A 1.9-million-pound lower ring -- an important piece of equipment for the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia -- has been lowered into place in Unit 4, Georgia Power said late last week.

The company said that upon completion, the expansion project, which consists of the addition of two nuclear reactor units at the Vogtle Plant will give it the most energy-generating capacity of any U.S. nuclear plant. The two new units are expected to produce approximately 1,117 megawatts of electricity, plus the 1,215 megawatts currently produced by Units 1 and 2 combined.

Georgia Power's parent company, Southern Company, said in a release that Unit 3 reactor is expected to begin its operations in 2019, with Unit 4 starting up in 2020.

In a Power News Wire article, R. Wayne Crockett, District 3 commissioner for Burke County, where the plant is based, said that approximately $3 billion in savings in energy costs is expected for those who receive power from the plant. The article also said the construction project has benefited the state’s job market and economic performance.

The plant is owned by Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power Corp, Dalton Utilities and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia.